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REGINA — Extreme cold weather across Saskatchewan this week resulted in record-breaking natural gas demand in the province.

On Dec. 28 and 29, natural gas consumption surpassed the previous daily record of 1.57 petajoules (PJ) which was set in February 2021.

A new daily record of 1.62 PJ was set on Dec. 28 and broken again on Dec. 29 with total system delivery of 1.64 PJ. Delivery numbers for Dec. 30 and 31 are not yet finalized, but are also expected to exceed 1.6 PJ.

Increased demand from SaskEnergy’s industrial customers, including natural gas use for power production, was the main driver of this week’s record-setting consumption.

SaskEnergy measures daily natural gas consumption for the 24-hour period from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. A PJ is a unit of measurement equivalent to one million gigajoules (GJ) of natural gas. An average Saskatchewan home consumes about 100 GJ of natural gas each year.

“SaskEnergy’s natural gas system design can accommodate additional capacity to manage increased consumption even on peak days,” SaskEnergy President and CEO Ken From said. “Throughout the year, SaskEnergy employees inspect, maintain and enhance the system to support safe and reliable natural gas delivery in all weather conditions. In addition, employees monitor the system 24 hours a day to ensure sufficient system capacity to meet customer demand across the province.”

Here are three of SaskEnergy’s top natural gas safety tips to help keep you and your family safe this winter:

1. Keep your exterior appliance vents free of frost, ice and snow. If snow or ice blocks your home’s exterior appliance vents, it can cause equipment to malfunction. Worse, it can cause a dangerous buildup of carbon monoxide—an odourless, colourless, tasteless, invisible gas formed by the incomplete combustion of fuels.
2. Keep your natural gas meter free of snow and ice, including the meter’s regulator and shut-off valve. Keeping snow and ice off and away from your natural gas equipment will help ensure it continues to operate when you need it most.
3. Have your furnace inspected every year.